Samuel Holdstock, 1823-1915
Samuel Holdstock was born on 16th May 1832, at Budds Farm, Wittersham, He was baptised at the church of St John the Baptist, Wittersham on 7th June, and remained in the village all his life. His parents were Joseph, a labourer, and Elizabeth, née Tickner. At the time of the 1841 census the family was living at Blackwall, Wittersham. Samuel was the second oldest of eight children, and the household also included the 80 year old Mary Holdstock.
On 11th April 1846, Samuel married Sophia Jenner in the church at Wittersham. In 1851 they were living at Back Road, Wittersham, and had two daughters and one son. Samuel was listed, as he was in most subsequent census returns, as an agricultural labourer. The 1861 census lists the family at 1 Back Street, Wittersham (the same location as Back Road?); Samuel and Sophia have had another three daughters. In 1871 their residence was in the High Street, Wittersham; their youngest daughters, Kate and Caroline, still living in the parental home. In 1881 they were at 5 Main Road; Caroline was still with them, and on the census day they were also looking after a baby granddaughter, Minnie. The 1891 census found them at 4 Swan Road; their daughter Sophia was now living with them, along with two granddaughters, Emma and Mabel.
Samuel’s wife Sophia died and was buried in the parish church on 14th December 1894. By the time of the 1901 census, he had moved in with his daughter Sophia, now married to Thomas Hinkley, a corn miller, at Poplar Cottage, Wittersham (the census has Samuel down as Thomas’s brother-in-law, but that is plainly wrong). Also in the house were Thomas and Sophia’s three children. Samuel was aged 77, but still listed as Agricultural labourer.
Although generally shown as an agricultural labourer in census returns, in 1881 he was described as “Shepheard” (and his daughter Caroline as “Shepheards daur”). In fact, it would appear that he was a skilled shepherd, winning prizes at meetings of the Tenterden Agricultural Association: in 1869 he was placed third for “Rearing the greatest number of lambs (320 lambs, 278 ewes)”1; was third again in 1870 as “lamber of a breeding flock who shall before the 1st June have reared the greatest number of lambs in proportion to the number of ewes under his management (the number of ewes not to be less than 300 in lamb) of which there must be one-third ewe tags”2; and gained first prize – and a prize of £1 10s. – in 1874 “for rearing 311 ewes 415 lambs”3. On all three occasions his employer was Thomas Chennell, of Budds Farm, Wittersham. He was also awarded a number of prizes at the Wittersham Horticultural Society’s Annual Meeting, in August 1870 – for his extra red gooseberries, herbs, turnips, stocks, scarlet runner beans, calceolaria, cut flowers, marigold, and red potatoes4.
Percy Grainger visited him on 21st August 1909, in company with Mrs Edith Lyttleton, who lived in Wittersham, and noted down five songs – although for only one of these did he note any words. Grainger wrote to his mother the following day
We got though several folksongs yesterday from a very nice old man, his name Samuel Holdstock. How cross I am that I didn’t bring my phonograph with me, for he sings really with charm and with many added syllable “inden” “I’dd” etc.”
One of his melodies was really beautiful: [here he wrote out the tune of the song ‘Mary Thompson’]
I’m so fond of those beginnings (marked*) on the 4th of the key, so uniquely characteristic of English tunes.
Perhaps I will arrange it for 4 voices and let them sing it this evening.
Of the singer, he noted
Samuel Holdstock, born 16 May 1832 [at] Budds, Wittersham, Kent. Here all his lifetime except 2 years in Appledore. [Dealt with] cattle and sheep. Worked up to he was 79, and then got hurt. Wouldn’t sing on a Sunday. Even in his wild days he had never done that. He went up to London to see the Queen’s funeral (Vic[toria]) and he never wished to see another.5
Two years later, in 1911, Samuel was still living with his daughter’s family. Thomas Hinkley was now shown in the census as “miller and baker”, and the family were living at The Mill, Wittersham. Samuel died in the final quarter of 1915, aged 92.
Songs
- Lord Exmouth (Roud 690)
- Mary Thompson (Roud 2458)
- Ninety-eight (Roud 1461)
- Sheffield ‘Prentice (Roud 399)
- The Wreck (Roud 0)
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